Since the dawn of man, we have been collecting rainwater for drinking, washing and, farming. Primitive man collected rainwater in banana leaves or excavated cisterns. As man evolved our methods of collecting water became more and more complex.
Although those who live in parts of the world that have limited water resources have continued to harvest water for individual use, most of us have not. As men became city dwellers, we became more dependent on provincial governments for collecting and distributing water for our needs. Man did not have to think twice about water unless there was a shortage. Water shortages because of drought, natural or man-made, can create havoc.
The easiest method for collecting rainwater is using a rain barrel or other catchment systems. Typically, rainwater is caught and stored when it runs off from rooftops via rain gutters. In some cases rain barrels have large opening on top allowing water from gutters to fall into the barrel. The water from these types of barrels is susceptible to pollution such a falling leaves, bugs, or stray animals. Moreover, water collected this way cannot be channeled back to the downspout. Consequently, when the rain barrel is full it will overflow causing the accumulation of unwanted water at rain barrel footing. The accumulated rainwater can seep into a building's foundation or basement resulting in structure damage.
Newer rain barrels try to address this issue by defining a smaller opening. To use this type of rain barrel, the gutter downspout is usually fitted with an attachment that leads a hose to the rain barrel. This type of attachment must be removed in freezing weather otherwise, the water in the rain barrel as well as in the attachment freezes causing both to burst. Additionally, this type of attachment can become clogged with debris if they are not regularly monitored. Finally, the downspout attachments, discussed above, often requires the existing gutter or drain spout to be redesigned.
Information relevant to addressing some of the concerns described above can be found in Adamson (WO2008/000016). However, Adamson is lacking. First, Adamson addresses the freezing problem, discussed above, by removing the apparatus. Second, the filter on Adamson is placed directly below the cut-away downspout. Consequently, any debris coming out from the downspout will be pushed against the filter instead of being pushed away from the filter. This configuration promotes clogging at the filter. Finally, this apparatus is not covered above the filter. Presumably, water is coming into the filter is moving at a high velocity. The size of the filter area coupled with rushing water will cause water to splash onto the exterior wall of the building. The amount of water that is splashed will be magnified when the filter is clogged, resulting in structural damages to the building.
Rosebrock (U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,594) has also tried to addresses a few of the concerns raised above. Rosebrock teaches a rain diverter that allows water to enter into a barrel or bypass the barrel when the barrel is full, the by-passed water flow out through its normal flow channel. Like Adamson, the Roseburg apparatus can freeze in cold temperatures. Additionally, Rosebrock does not provide a filtration system.